Author Archives: Mindy Long / @mindywrites

Freelance Workshop: The Nuts and Bolts

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A fellow freelancer and a member of my alumni network, Maya Payne Smart, is co-presenting a series of free Webinars through the Donald W. Reynolds National Center for Business Journalism on how to be an entrepreneur as a business journalist. Joe Grimm, a visiting journalist at Michigan State University’s School of Journalism and a blogger will present along with Smart. The interactive course will be taught one hour a day from Nov. 16-20 and will cover the nuts and bolts of setting up a business from legal and accounting questions to branding and marketing yourself. There will also be a live chat with five successful business journalists turned entrepreneurs. I registered and thought other freelancers or potential freelancers might want to as well. Visit http://www.businessjournalism.org/seminars/2009/entrepreneur1116/ for the details.

National Book Festival

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If you live near Washington D.C. and don’t have plans for Sept. 26, you should make your way to the National Mall for the National Book Festival (http://www.loc.gov/bookfest/).

There will be 70 writers and illustrators at the event, including Judy Blume, James Patterson and Jodi Piccoult–some of my favorites. I’ve printed off the map and started circling all the places I want to hit. The book signing schedule is at http://www.loc.gov/bookfest/2009/scheduleSigning.html (I hope to pick up some signed copies for me and some for gifts–I may need to take my son’s wagon with me). The pavilion schedule is at at http://www.loc.gov/bookfest/2009/schedulePavilion.html. 

If you don’t live in the D.C. area, don’t worry, the Library of Conference will have podcasts available. 

Hello Class of 2013

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This weekend I went to a Northwestern alumni event and had a great conversation with one of the Medill School of Journalism’s incoming freshman. I had fun talking with the student and her mom, and it made me realize how much has changed since I graduated with my Master’s Degree in 2001.

My only tools of the trade were a tape recorder (yes—with actual tapes), a notebook and a pen. Apparently incoming freshman are now expected to arrive with a digital audio recorder, digital camera, video camera and a lavalier mic. Obviously changing technology is driving the cost down and making those items affordable, but it also says a lot about the changing roles of journalism and how a story is reported.

When I got home I told my husband about the new freshmen and the fact that they are the class of 2013. If I could put numbers in all caps, I would. Seriously, 2013? When did that happen? These “kids” were born in the 90s–a decade I remember well. While I was talking to them, I found myself saying things like, “I’m sure a lot has changed since I was at Medill,” and “When I was there…” At least I didn’t tell them about how I had to walk to class in the snow uphill both ways. 

When I went to bed, I felt a lot older than I had earlier in the day. But I also had a renewed level of excitement for the industry, for the new Medillians, the reporting they will do and the way they will help shape the future of journalism. Newspapers, magazines and online news are changing rapidly right now, but I can’t imagine the need for good reporting will go away. It will be interesting to see how it changes shape. 

Freelance by Choice

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A fellow freelancer recently sent out an e-mail with the line at the bottom, “Freelancer by choice, not because of a layoff.” Most of my current clients know that I chose to leave my office job to pursue freelancing for the flexibility it provides, but the e-mail made me question if potential clients care why someone entered the world of freelance.

The Small Business Administration estimates that the number of one-person operations increases during tough times. An article on being your own boss in this month’s issue of Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine states the number of people starting their own businesses increased 4.5 percent in 2007—just as the economic slowdown began.

I tend to think that an entrepreneur is an entrepreneur whether someone makes the move out of choice or necessity, but now I’m wondering if there a stigma associated with becoming a sole proprietor during a recession. I’m eager to hear what others think.